1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to biological microscopy, and more particularly concerns a microscope probe for in vivo or in vitro optogenetic stimulation and fluorescence imaging through multiple illumination channels.
2. Background of the Invention
When making microscopic observations of in vivo biological specimens, minimally invasive techniques are required. However, conventional microscopes feature large size microscope objectives. Large objectives cannot be implanted within a sample without causing significant damage to the sample, such as removing structures in order to facilitate access to deep layers within the sample. Less invasive fiber-optic cannulae that are typically used in optogenetics experiments are typically configured only for optical stimulation or silencing of a certain class of neurons without imaging capabilities. More recent solutions include miniaturized microscopes that can be detachably coupled to a base plate mounted on a subject, such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publications U.S. 20120062723 and U.S. 20150309295.
While the ability to perform fluorescence microscopy in in vivo and in vitro configurations is desirable, for optogenetic applications, existing systems are limited in their flexibility of performing optogenetic stimulation.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an optogenetic compatible fluorescence microscope.